


Friendly Skies

by JuliaM (seshat0120)



Category: The Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Drama, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Magnificent Seven AU: ATF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:34:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25021762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seshat0120/pseuds/JuliaM
Summary: Ezra and Buck are on their way home from a seminar in Baltimore.  Along they way, they hit a few bumps and get to know each other better.
Comments: 12
Kudos: 40





	1. Chapter 1




	2. Chapter 2

“Aw hell,” Ezra breathed out as he and Buck stood in front of the arrivals and departures board. Their noon flight back to Denver from Baltimore was showing a delay of ninety minutes – a delay that was severely compromising Ezra’s carefully planned timetable. They had arrived at the airport two hours before their flight was supposed to depart to allow enough time for them to clear through security. It had taken them just about a half hour to do that and make their way to their gate giving them a cushion of ninety minutes. That plus four hours flight time, another hour or so to deplane, get their luggage, and make their way to long term parking, and then another 45 minutes to drive to his townhouse meant he’d be home and in his bed in just about seven hours. Now that seven hours was going stretch nine hours...or more. Just the thought of the additional time sent a sharp pain travelling from his ankle up his leg and he let out a small groan and swayed on the crutches he was using for support.

“Nothing we can do about it,” Buck said grimly as he put out a hand to steady his injured friend. What he was really thinking was that he wished they’d known about the delay and could have stayed at the hotel a little longer to give Ezra more time to rest. “Let’s get you off your feet.”

Since the arrivals and departures board was located at the gate their flight was departing from, they didn’t have much further to walk. Scoping out the area, Buck saw four unoccupied seats that were together and led Ezra to them. He dropped their carry-ons to the floor and draped Ezra’s overcoat over a chairback, then helped Ezra lower himself to one of the seats. He put the crutches on the floor as well and helped Ezra to turn so he could stretch his injured leg across the unoccupied seats. As gently as he could, he slipped his carry-on under Ezra’s splinted ankle to elevate it. Despite the gentleness, he caught the grimace of pain that flashed across his friend’s bruised face. “Sorry about that.”

Ezra waved off the apology. “Not your fault.” He grimaced again. “I don’t think there’s a single spot on me that’s not sore.”

“Taking a tumble down a flight of stairs will do that to you.” Buck didn’t mention the punch that had precipitated that fall. He grabbed Ezra’s carry-on, unzipped it, and started rooting around in it. “Why don’t you take one of those pills the doc gave you. It might make you more comfortable.”

“Not right now,” Ezra said with a shake of his head. “I’d rather wait until we board.” He took a deep breath and let it out, biting back another groan when it made his bruised ribs twinge.

“I just hate seeing you in pain. Why don’t you at least take off your tie and unbutton your shirt collar.” Where Buck had dressed for comfort in jeans and a chambray shirt, Ezra had on his usual attire of suit and tie.

“Must I remind you, Mr. Wilmington? Appearances are everything.”

“Suit yourself. I was just trying to make you a little more comfortable.” Buck zipped up the bag and pushed it closer to Ezra’s seat. He nodded in the direction of the gate podium. “I’m going to make sure we can get you boarded early. No sense in you getting jostled by everyone else.”

“Thank you. When you return, would you mind getting me a bottle of water. I’m a bit parched.”

“I’ll get you water and something to eat. You haven’t had much all day.”

For a moment, Ezra was going to counter that he wasn’t hungry but knew if he did, Buck would just start worrying and insisting he had to put something in his stomach. Instead, he nodded and smiled as much as he could without causing his split lower lip to start bleeding again.

He watched as Buck approached the podium and spoke to the young woman who was on duty there. He could tell from his friend’s posture that he was using all his considerable charm. If Ezra knew Buck as well as he did, he’d probably come back with a phone number...and maybe he’d even remember what his mission had been. Shifting slightly, he tried to rest his arm on the back of the seat so he could lean his head against it but aborted the movement and winced in pain as it put pressure on his ribs. Buck chose just that moment to turn and point in his direction.

7 7 7 7 7 7 7

“Hello there, darlin’,” Buck said with his most charming smile as he approached the gate podium. He took in the blonde-haired, blue-eyed angel and nearly forgot what he was supposed to be doing. He gave himself a mental shake. He was supposed to be helping Ezra, not making new acquaintances. Of course, if he managed to get a phone number, what would that hurt?

“Can I help you, the gate agent asked.

Buck rested his forearms on the podium and leaned forward slightly. “You sure can…” he hesitated a moment as he read her nametag. “Ariana. Can I just say what a beautiful name that is? Almost as beautiful as your eyes but I don’t think anything could be more beautiful than they are.”

Ariana smiled patiently at Buck. She’d heard more than her fair share of pick-up lines in the past. This was one of the tamer ones she’d heard. “Thank you. My fiancé tells me that all the time,” she said pleasantly. “Is there something I can help you with?”

For just a second, Buck was caught off-guard as he was so neatly shot down. “Um…yeah,” he said trying to recover. “I was just wondering if it would be possible for my friend and I to board early.”

“You’re boarding pass should have the group you’ll be able to board with,” Ariana pointed out.

“Oh, yeah. I know all about that. It’s just that my friend had a little accident yesterday and he’s none to steady on his feet. I just thought it would be easier if he could board before everyone else, so he doesn’t get jostled around. That’s him over there.” He turned to point to Ezra. Just as he did, he saw him try to move and then wince in pain.

Ariana looked in the direction Buck pointed and caught sight of Ezra. The air cast on his ankle, split lip, bruised face, and left eye nearly swollen shut immediately made an impact. “Oh. That poor man. Has his doctor cleared him to fly?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah.” Buck reached into his pocket and pulled out the doctor’s note they’d had to show when they checked in for the flight to prove that Ezra was medically fit to fly. “Got a letter from the doctor right here.”

Ariana took the proffered piece of paper and quickly read through it. “Of course, he’ll be able to pre-board. Just listen for the announcement for medical pre-board and we can get him on then. Will he need any assistance?”

“I can help him. That is, if it’s ok for me to board with him.”

“Of course, and if he needs any more assistance, just let me know and I can arrange it.”

“Thanks. Will do.” Buck returned to where Ezra was sitting. “Just wanted to check on you before I got your water. You ok? Looks like you were in more pain.”

A fleeting smile crossed Ezra’s face. Since the accident, Buck had been more than solicitous of him. He wondered how much of it was guilt and how much of it was the fear of having to explain to Chris exactly what happened. “I just can’t seem to get comfortable. That’s all.”

“Don’t think they made these chairs with comfort in mind.” He took off his coat and folded it to put between Ezra and the seatback to give him some cushion. “See if that helps.”

“Thank you.” Ezra settled himself as best as he could. “Seems you have a paramour,” he told Buck as he saw the gate agent hurrying in their direction.

“Sir,” Ariana said as she stopped behind Buck. “If you’d like, we can make arrangements for the two of you to access the lounge. I’m sure your friend will be much more comfortable there.”

“Thank you, darlin’,” Buck said with a smile. “We’d really appreciate that.”

“Down, boy,” Ezra said once Ariana had walked away. He was surprised to see Buck’s face fall. “Don’t tell me the mighty Buck Wilmington has struck out.”

“Nah. She’s engaged.” He turned back to face Ezra. “Guess she’ll never know what she missed out on,” he said with a wide grin.

7 7 7 7 7 7 7

Not only did Ariana arrange access to the lounge for the two of them but she also called to have a golf cart transport them to it with the promise that there’d be one to get them back to the gate for their flight. All they had to do was let the receptionist at the lounge know.

Ezra had been relieved to see the couches in the lounge. Although not his bed at home, at least he’d be able to stretch out comfortably until it was time for them to board.

Buck got him settled on couch with one of the carry-on bags elevating his broken ankle then got him a bottle of complimentary water from the cooler of drinks. Once sure Ezra was settled and comfortable as possible, he went to see what other complimentary food and beverages were available to them.

Checking his watch, Ezra saw that only about a half hour had gone by since they’d seen the flight was delayed. “Eight and half hours,” he whispered to himself counting down how long until he’d be home.

The corner of the lounge he was in was practically deserted and, therefore, quiet. He thought of pulling the novel he had out of his carry-on but just didn’t have the wherewithal to concentrate. Instead, he felt himself drifting off in a doze. He wasn’t sure how long that lasted when Buck’s voice startled him. “Wha…”

“Didn’t mean to wake you, Hoss.” Buck pulled one of the armchairs closer to where Ezra lay. The small table between them had a plate with finger sandwiches and salad. There was a bowl next to it and a can of Coke. Buck pushed the bowl toward Ezra. “I got you some soup. You should try eating a little of it. And I’ve got some bad news. There’s an arrival/departure board over the bar. Our flight’s been pushed back another thirty minutes.”

Ezra let out a defeated sigh. “Nine hours again,” he whispered in disappointment.

“What about nine hours?” When Ezra made no move to pick up the bowl of soup, Buck nudged it a little closer to him.

“Nine hours until I see the inside of my home,” Ezra answered. He nudged the bowl of soup back towards Buck and picked up his bottle of water instead. “Nine hours until something approaching comfort.”

“Didn’t realize you had a countdown going.” Buck again nudged the bowl of soup in Ezra’s direction. “You need to eat some of that and then take one of the pain pills and don’t argue with me. I can see you’re hurting and that headache’s just going to keep getting worse if you don’t put something in your stomach.”

“If it means you’ll stop being a mother hen for at least a few moments, I’ll eat it.” Ezra picked up the bowl of soup and gingerly spooned some into his mouth. He let out a hiss when he couldn’t completely avoid his split lip. He didn’t eat more than a half dozen spoonfuls before he put the bowl back down. “I’ve no appetite, Buck. Please don’t keep trying to force me to eat.”

“Ok.” Buck knew it was likely his friend wouldn’t be up to eating anything until he was finally in his home. It was normal for him to eat very little when travelling. With the addition of his injuries, it only made sense that he’d have even less of an appetite. “You need to make sure you’re drinking, though,” he admonished as he pushed the bottle of water closer. “And I’m getting those painkillers for you. No argument. And for crying out loud, take of the damned tie.”

Letting out a sigh, Ezra loosened his tie and pulled it off then sipped from the bottle as he again tried to avoid the injury to his lip. “I’d prefer to wait until we’re closer to boarding so I know I’ll have the benefit of the painkiller during the flight but,” he let out another sigh, “I’m not sure I can wait that long.”

“Knew you were hurting.” Buck pulled out the bottle of painkillers and shook one out into Ezra’s hand. He took the tie and shoved it into the bag heedless of any creases that might be inflicted on the silk. “We’re gonna be here for a while. Why don’t you try to catch some z’s?” He balled up his coat and slipped it under Ezra’s head for a pillow.

Ezra swallowed the pill with some water then tried to get as comfortable as he could. As he felt a chill go through him, he pulled his suitcoat tighter around himself. “Don’t let me sleep long.”

“You have my word,” Buck promised as he draped Ezra’s overcoat over him as a pseudo blanket. He wasn’t sure if Ezra fell asleep quickly or if he was just resting with his eyes closed. Regardless, he did his best to keep quiet so he wouldn’t disturb him. He poked half-heartedly at the plate of food he’d put together for himself. He couldn’t get it out of his head that it was his fault Ezra had been hurt.

As the minutes ticked by, Ezra’s breathing grew deeper and slower until Buck knew he was finally asleep. He was just pulling out his cellphone when he saw one of the staff members approaching him carrying a blanket and one of the small airline pillows. “I thought your friend might like this,” she said as she held the items out.

“Thanks,” Buck said as he took the offering. He was now so deep into guilt it nearly didn’t register with him it was an attractive female handing him the pillow and blanket, and he made none of his usual attempts to flirt. He took the overcoat off Ezra then shook out the blanket and draped it over his friend’s sleeping form. “Just a blanket,” he whispered when the sleeping man moved restlessly and let out a little moan. “If you can lift up a little, I’ve got a pillow for you.” He slipped one hand behind his friend’s back helping him to lift up enough that he could replace his balled-up coat with the pillow. “You just go on sleeping, now,” he soothed once the pillow was in place. Once he was certain that Ezra had settled down once more, he picked up his phone again. Taking a deep breath and bracing himself, he speed-dialed Chris.


	3. Chapter 3

It was just past nine and Chris was gathering the files that he’d need for a budget meeting. He’d been in his office since a little after eight and had spent much of the time preparing for the meeting. Most people probably thought his job with the ATF was filled with action and shoot outs. In reality, he frequently spent more time dealing with bureaucracy than he wanted to think about. Just as he was getting up, the phone on his desk rang. He hesitated thinking he should let it go to voicemail so he wasn’t late for the meeting but then it occurred to him that maybe whatever it was would be a good excuse for him to miss the meeting all together. He dropped the files on the desk and reached for the phone as he sat back down. “Larabee.”

“Hey, Chris,” he heard.

“Buck? I thought you and Ezra were supposed to be on a flight out from Denver.”

“We were but the flight’s been delayed a couple of hours.”

“Don’t tell me. Let me guess. The pilot just happens to be a woman and you’ve swept her off her feet,” Chris joked.

“I wish. It’s weather or something. I don’t know exactly. All I know is our flight won’t be getting in until about 4:00 – 4:30 mountain time and I was wondering if you or one of the guys would mind picking me and Ezra up at the airport.”

Chris knew Ezra had driven and was immediately on guard at Buck’s request although he couldn’t figure out what could have gone wrong at a seminar. “Something happen? I thought Ezra had driven and parked in the long-term lot.”

“He did. I just don’t think he’s going to be up to driving. I’m not sure he’ll even be able to get in the Jag.”

“Stop tap dancing,” Chris demanded. “You’ve never been good at it. Just tell me what sort of trouble the two of you got into.”

Chris heard Buck take a deep breath before he started on his explanation. “Well, Chris, first you need to know that nothing that happened was our fault.”

“It never is,” Chris said wryly. “Go on.”

“You know the seminar ended yesterday. There was only a morning session so afterwards, Ezra and I thought we’d get some lunch. The hotel has this great little restaurant with an outdoor patio looking over the harbor. Let me tell you, it’s got the best crab cakes you’re ever going to eat. Next time you’re in Baltimore, you have to try them.”

Chris didn’t even try to stop his eyeroll as Buck went on with his delaying tactic. He just had to wait him out and he’d get to what happened…eventually.

“Anyways, we were just getting ready to leave and I noticed this absolutely beautiful angel standing by the stairs leading down to the lower level.”

Hearing the mention of a woman, Chris let out a sigh. “How did I know there was going to be a woman involved in this somehow.”

“Now, Chris, it’s not like that. There was some drunk guy hassling the lady. It looked like she was trying to get away from him so I went over to see if I could intervene and get him to leave her alone. I didn’t realize Ezra had followed me. Anyway, this guy was huge…Jolly Green Giant big and he didn’t take real well to me telling him to leave the lady alone.”

“Wait, let me guess,” Chris interrupted. “This giant of a man decided he didn’t want you interfering and threw a punch.”

“Um…yeah.”

“And Ezra happened to be at the other end of it.”

“Uh…not exactly. Ezra was sort of behind the guy. Anyway, I ducked his punch. And…well…instinct sort of took over and I…uh…I tried to hit him back.”

“Oh, you didn’t,” Chris said as he started to visualize what the most likely outcome of the altercation was.”

“Um…the guy ducked and…well…um…Ezra didn’t.”

“So, you ended up clocking Ezra.” Chris was going to point out how many times he’d come close to doing just that when Ezra’s smart mouth got the better of him but stopped himself. “I’ve got the feeling that’s not the end of it.”

“Not exactly. You know how I said there were stairs leading to the lower level? Well, when I hit him, Ezra went ass over tea kettle down them.”

Chris winced in sympathy and shook his head slightly. “So, what’s the damage?”

“The worst of it is that he broke his right ankle and bruised his ribs all to hell. And I don’t think there’s an inch of him that’s not covered with bruises of some kind. Oh, and he’s got a black and eye from when I hit him. It swelled up good. And he somehow split his lip when he fell. Good news is that he didn’t dislocate his shoulder and the doctor said he doesn’t have a concussion. Oh, and he didn’t need stitches to in his lip.” Buck tried to sound cheerful when he said the last.

“Oh, I just bet he had a party because of that.” Chris shook his head slightly. He’d like to say he was surprised that his agents had found trouble at a seminar but then he thought about who it was. At this point, he didn’t think there was a single member of Team Seven he could send away for something no matter how simple and they wouldn’t find trouble. “Do I want to ask what happened to the Jolly Green Giant?”

“The police showed up then and I think they took him away. I was trying to make sure Ezra wasn’t too badly hurt.”

“And the girl?” Chris prompted knowing that, somehow, Buck would have managed to make some connection with her.

“Missy? She’s ok. Hey, you’ll never believe it but she’s a flight attendant. We’re going to get together next time she comes through Denver.”

Chris found himself shaking his head. Only Buck could manage to knock his teammate down a flight of stairs and still come out with a rendezvous with a girl. “Only you, Buck.” He grabbed a piece of paper and pen. “Give me your flight information and I’ll pick you up at the airport.”


	4. Chapter 4

Just over an hour before the newly scheduled flight time one of the staff in the lounge approached where Buck was sitting. “Sir? I just wanted to let you know the cart to get you and your friend back to your gate will be outside in a about ten minutes.”

“Thanks.” Buck started to lean forward to wake Ezra but turned back around to the staff person. “Uh, excuse me. Can I just hang on to the blanket and pillow for him, so we don’t have to get them onboard?”

“Of course,” the woman said. “And feel free if you’d like to take some water or some snacks with you.”

“Thank you, ma’am. I’ll probably grab a couple of bottles of water. Ezra tends to get thirsty when he flies.”

The woman smiled back at Buck, taken with his charm and obvious concern for his injured friend. “You wake your friend and get him ready and I’ll get them for you.”

“Thank you.” Buck watched the woman walk away for a few seconds then turned back around to where Ezra was sleeping on the couch. He really did hate to wake him up since it was the first solid sleep he’d had since the incident yesterday. Buck had heard him tossing and turning most of the night unable to find a comfortable position to settle. He gently shook his shoulder and called his name.

Ezra pulled in a deep breath and let out a small groan before his eyes blinked open. “Wha...?” He tried to sit up but let out a louder groan when his ribs complained about the movement.

“Hey. Hey. Settle down,” Buck said in concern as he tried to hold Ezra still. “Nothing’s wrong. There’s just going to be a cart outside in a few minutes to get us back to the gate.” He only let his hold on his friend’s shoulders go when he stopped trying to sit up on his own. Only then did Buck put an arm behind Ezra’s shoulders and carefully helped him to sit up. “You ok?”

“I think everything’s stiffened up.” Ezra rubbed a hand over his face and blinked his eyes a few times trying to wake fully. “It’s time to go?”

“In a few minutes.” Buck’s concern was raised as he saw the normally ebullient man so lethargic and in obvious discomfort. “Let’s get you turned around.” He cautiously removed the carry-on that had been elevating Ezra’s ankle and helped him to swivel around on the couch. Each grimace and groan Ezra wasn’t able to contain was like a punch in the gut. “I’m really sorry, Ezra.”

Ezra waved off the apology. “I know you didn’t mean to hit me. It was just a series of unfortunate events. Please stop blaming yourself.” He cautiously leaned over to rest his elbows on his knees and cradled his head in his hands. “How soon?”

“How soon?” Buck echoed not understanding the question for a moment. “Oh. In about an hour,” he answered when he realized Ezra was asking how soon until their flight left. “Should start boarding in about a half hour.” He sat on the couch next to Ezra and rubbed his back gently. Even after an almost two-hour nap, his friend was still looking rough. “Look, maybe we should just see if they can reschedule our flight to tomorrow, go back to the hotel and you can get some more rest. You know the doctor wasn’t happy about you flying today. Hell, he wanted to keep you overnight.”

Ezra shook his head. “No. All I want to do is go home and sleep in my own bed.” He saw the doubtful and concerned look on Buck’s face. “Six or seven hours and I’ll be home. It’s going to be fine, Buck. I doubt anything else is going to happen.”

Buck let out a sardonic laugh. “From your lips to God’s ears. Although, you probably just jinxed us.”

“There’s no such thing as jinxing.” Ezra pulled in a quick breath sat back. “One creates one’s luck, good or bad. There isn’t something mystical out there jinxing people.”

Before Buck could reply, the woman he’d spoken with earlier came back carrying a bag. “Here you go,” she said as she handed it to him. “Is there anything else you’ll need.”

“No, ma’am. We should be all set.” Buck took the bag from her and peeked inside. There were several bottles of water as well as packages of crackers and cheese. “Mighty generous of you, ma’am.” He set the bag down at his feet and turned back to Ezra once the woman had left. “Good luck, bad luck, whatever. I just don’t want to see you making yourself miserable, Hoss. Chris’ll understand if we stay another day.”

“We’re here. Let’s just continue the journey.” Ezra tried to smile but, when he did, he felt his lip start to bleed again. “Damn it,” he breathed out as he brushed his hand over his mouth.

“Now see.” Buck reached for one of the paper napkins on the table, grasped Ezra’s face, and gently pressed the napkin to the bleeding lip to staunch the flow of blood. Amazingly, Ezra sat still until Buck was satisfied the bleeding had stopped. “You really have your mind set on going home today.” Receiving an answering nod, he let out a sigh and started to gather their belongs. “Let’s head out to that cart then.”

## 7 7 7 7 7 7 7

The waiting golf cart quickly whisked them back to the gate their fight was boarding from. When they got there, Buck saw that Arianna had been replaced by a different gate agent. Once he was sure Ezra was settled in one of the few empty seats, he went to confirm that they’d be able to board early.

Ezra watched as Buck approached the podium and talked with the agent there. After a minute or two, Buck reached into his pocket and pulled out both of their boarding passes and handed them over. After the agent spent a bit of time using the computer terminal, he handed Buck what looked to Ezra to be new boarding passes. He wondered what that was all about.

“Won’t be much longer,” Buck said when he returned. “And,” he continued with a broad smile as he held up the boarding passes, “he gave us a complimentary upgrade to Business Class – said you’d be more comfortable there.”

Ezra was smart enough not to try smiling again knowing that it would only set his lip to bleeding again. “And you thought I’d jinxed us. Things are already started looking up.”

“I guess they are that,” Buck agreed.

It was just a few more minutes before they were called to board. Buck got Ezra up and steadied on his crutches then grabbed both of their carry-on bags, the bag with the water and snacks from the lounge, and his coat and Ezra’s overcoat. “You want me to hold on to this or can you get it?” he asked as he held out Ezra’s boarding pass.

Ezra tried to hold on to the boarding pass and use the crutches but quickly gave up. “If you wouldn’t mind, Buck.”

“Not a problem.”

The two made their way slowly to the jetway entrance and had their boarding passes scanned. They were the only ones preboarding. “Just take your time, Ez. It’s not a race,” Buck cautioned when his friend stumbled on one of the raised joints of the jetway. “They’re not leaving without us.”

Ezra gave short nod as he was concentrating too much on making his way down the jetway without putting any weight on his broken ankle. The jetway that always seemed so short every other time he had boarded or disembarked from a plane seemed at least twice as long as what it usually was. He was relieved when he finally made it to the door of the plane.

A flight attendant met them there and offered to assist Ezra to his seat. It was awkward to navigate the narrow aisle of the plane with crutches but, since they were seated in Business Class, he didn’t have to go far.

There were twelve seats in the Business Class section. Three rows with two seats on either side of the aisle. Ezra and Buck were seated in the middle row on the left side of the plane. “I think it might be easier if I take the window seat,” Ezra suggested as he eyed the row.

“You sure? If you’re in the aisle seat, you can stretch your leg out into the aisle,” Buck suggested. “It might be more comfortable for you?”

“But then I’d have to get up or you’d have to climb over me if you needed the restroom.” Ezra couldn’t hold back a sigh. Neither seat would be ideal. While he was mulling over the decision, the flight attendant made an additional suggestion.

“I don’t believe either of the two seats across the aisle have been booked. I can probably move one of you gentleman to one of those seats. I’d just need you take these two for now and, once we’re fully boarded and I know they’re empty, I can get you moved.”

“That would great,” Buck said with a wide grin that Ezra hoped didn’t mean he was going to start flirting. He just didn’t think he could put up with Buck’s Lothario ways feeling the way he was.

“Why don’t you stick with the window seat for now. That way you won’t have to move,” Buck suggested.

As soon as Ezra was seated, he took the crutches from him and then stowed them as well as their bags in the overhead bin then took his seat in the aisle seat. The bag with the water and snacks he tucked under the seat in front of him. They’d just about gotten themselves settled when the rest of the passengers started to file on.

As the other passengers came on, Ezra’s attention was mostly on the window next to him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Buck leaning over, presumably to get something from the bag of snacks. He turned to ask if there was a package of plain crackers hoping it might help to settle his stomach’s queasiness. When he did, he caught sight of the passenger walking past their seats and pulled in a sharp breath. “Aw hell,” he whispered.

Hearing the soft curse, Buck sat up straight and looked over toward Ezra. “What? What’s wrong? You ok?”

“Fine. I’m just fine. However, do you remember the behemoth from the restaurant yesterday?”

“You mean the Jolly Green Giant who harassing Missy?”

Ezra couldn’t stop himself from rolling his eyes when Buck mentioned the woman from the day before. “That would be the one.”

“What about him?”

“It seems he’s also on this flight. He just walked by. He looked about as happy to see me as I was to see him.”

“And you thought I was crazy talking about jinxes.”

Ezra remembered the almost homicidal look in the man’s eyes as he walked by and suppressed a shiver. “Perhaps you had the right idea about delaying for another day.” As he spoke, they heard the door of the plane close.

“Guess it’s too late for second thoughts now.”


	5. Chapter 5

They’d been in the air for nearly an hour and, so far, things had gone smoothly. Once the plane had been fully boarded, the Carrie had been able to move Buck to the seats across the aisle from Ezra. Other than the two of them, there were only three others flying business class on the flight.

Ezra had spent most of the time dozing in his seat. As soon as he was able, he’d reclined it. Buck had come over to tuck the blanket from the lounge around him and gave him the pillow he’d been using there. He’d hoped it was how he could spend the entire flight. Unfortunately, all the water he’d been drinking decided it wasn’t going to wait until they landed in Denver. Without his crutches, though, he’d need Buck’s help to get to the restroom.

He’d no sooner raised the middle armrest and started to slide toward the aisle when Buck was suddenly at his side. “You need something, Ez.”

Ezra couldn’t hold back a quick smile and he wondered just how long Buck was going to feel guilty. Had he been feeling better, he might have started to catalog ways to use it to his advantage. “Just need the restroom. I really didn’t want to bother you.”

“No bother. Just let me get your crutches down for you.”

Once he steadied himself on the crutches, Ezra started to make his way to the restroom. He’d taken a couple of steps up the aisle when he noticed Buck shadowing him. “I can assure you, Mr. Wilmington, this is something I’ve been doing on my own since I was a small child. I won’t be needing assistance.”

“Just want to make sure you get there ok, Hoss. Don’t want you losing your balance if there’s any turbulence.”

Ezra stopped his forward progression and looked back over his shoulder. “I really must insist that I don’t need assistance for this. Please, return to your seat. I’ll be just fine.”

Buck hesitated for a second but then stepped back to the row he was seated in. “Ok. But you just shout if you have any trouble.”

“I sincerely doubt that’s going to happen,” Ezra mumbled under his breath. For a moment, he’d been convinced that Buck was going to follow him all the way into the restroom...and it was barely big enough for one person.

Buck didn’t sit back down until he saw Ezra disappear through the door to the lavatory. He did so then with a sigh. He couldn’t shake the guilty feeling that it was his fault Ezra was in the state he was in. He didn’t really see any way he could have done anything different. There was no way he was going to let a man continue to harass a woman. Considering Ezra had followed him over, it was a safe bet his friend had felt the same way. Still, it was his fist that connected with Ezra’s face and knocked him down the stairs. It was going to be a while before he’d be able to make that up to him. He was sure that if Ezra didn’t feel as bad as he did, he’d probably be milking his injuries and playing on Buck’s feelings of guilt.

He turned toward the partition that led to the rest of plane when he heard some kind of commotion and raised voices. The partition was pulled open and a flight attendant backed in. “Sir, you really need to return to your seat,” she sated.

Buck was quickly out of his seat to see if there was something he could do to help. It almost didn’t surprise him to see that the unruly and obviously intoxicated passenger was the man Ezra had identified as the one from the incident the day before. He shook his head slightly. Ezra might not believe in jinxes but there was just no denying the fact that, so far, today had turned into one continuing example of Murphy’s Law. “Hey, buddy. Why don’t you listen to the lady and go back to your seat,” Buck suggested.

“You!” the drunk man said when he caught sight of Buck. “You think you can keep telling me what to do?” He pushed past the flight attendant and drew closer to Buck. “You just stay out of my business, you hear.”

“Now I don’t want to be involved in any business of yours,” Buck tried to soothe. “I just think you should do what the lady’s asking you to do.”

“You just want to keep all the good stuff for yourself. That’s why you and your buddy are here. Maybe you need to learn the same lesson he did.”

Buck saw the man pull back his fist and quickly ducked. When he heard the fist connect with flesh, he spun around to see who the unfortunate person was. “Aw hell,” he sighed when he saw Ezra tumbling back from the fist that had caught him high on his right cheekbone.

M7 M7 M7 M7 M7 M7 M7

Airplane lavatories were not something Ezra was fond of when he was able-bodied. Hampered as he was by the broken ankle and crutches, he detested them even more. He was bracing himself at the sink washing his hands when he faintly heard what sounded like raised voices coming from the body of the plane. “What now?” he asked his reflection and, much as he hated the cramped confines, he thought about staying right where he was for the remainder of the flight. “Best go see what’s happening now,” he told his reflection then reached for the door.

As soon as he stepped into the aisle, he saw several figures congregating where the partition separated business class from economy. If he wasn’t mistaken, the back of one head looked suspiciously like Buck’s. Taking a quick glance over to where Buck had been seated, he saw an empty space. “Good lord, what’s he up to now?” he asked no one in particular.

Again, he thought about going back to the lavatory and waiting out the rest of the flight there but quickly dismissed the idea. Instead, he started to make his way back to his seat hoping he’d be able to avoid any kerfuffle that may be happening. As he got closer and everyone moved, he was able to see the man from the incident yesterday that Buck had dubbed the Jolly Green Giant. Ezra wasn’t sure why Buck had felt the moniker worked for the man. He was anything but jolly although he would give that he seemed to be a giant

He saw the man push pass the flight attendant and knew it was not going to end well. Despite a strong need for self-preservation he still hastened to see if he could offer any aid. He was just behind Buck and was ready to ask what was going on when he saw his friend duck down. The next thing he knew, something impacted his right cheek and he was falling to the floor. Thanks to the narrow aisle, he managed to slam his chin into the arm rest of one of the seats on the way down and then the back of his head on the floor. To add insult to injury, the crutches ended up on top of him.

Stunned, he barely heard Buck’s “aw hell.” He lay in the aisle blinking up at the ceiling of plane. He could feel blood dripping from his chin and down his neck and knew he’d gashed his chin.

He heard exclamations from the other passengers in Business Class and then felt the crutches moved. “Are you ok,” a feminine voice asked. He blinked up and saw Carrie kneeling behind him. He resisted the urge to ask her if she thought he looked all right. This day could not get any worse.

As he lay there, he wondered just who he must have pissed off that he kept ending up on the receiving end of the punches Buck and the giant decided to trade. “This is not fair. Not fair at all,” he muttered.

M7 M7 M7 M7 M7 M7 M7

“Now look what you went and did,” Buck said to current bane of his and Ezra’s existence. “You really shouldn’t have done that.”

“Yeah? What are you going to do about it?” the man taunted.

Somehow, Buck fought against his gut instinct to knock the guy out. Instead, he reached into his back pocket, pulled out his ID, and flipped it open so the man could see it. “How ‘bout I arrest you for causing a disturbance and assaulting a law enforcement officer? That sound good to you?”

For a few seconds, the man was stunned to silence then quickly said, “I didn’t hit you. I hit him.”

Again, Buck looked over his shoulder at Ezra and saw that Carrie was trying to help him. “Guess what? He’s my partner. Now, unless you want me to knock you on your ass, you are going to shut your trap and you are going to sit in that seat.” As he spoke, Buck got progressively louder and further into the man’s personal space. He pointed to one of the seats in the last row of business class that was vacant. “Do you not understand me?” he shouted when the man continued to stand gaping at him. Finally, the man slunk down to the seat Buck had pointed to.

Once the man was seated, Buck looked over to the flight attendant who had been involved in the original altercation. “I don’t suppose you have anything I can use to secure him to the seat, do you?”

The man regained his belligerence and surged up out of the seat while Buck was momentarily distracted. His re-found bravado came to a quick end when Buck turned quickly and knocked him down with one punch. “Now stay there,” he yelled at him.

“Um...I think there’s some duct tape in the galley,” the flight attendant told him.

“That’ll do.” Making sure the man was staying put this time, he glanced back to Ezra. “He ok?”

“He’s a bit shook up,” Carrie told Buck. She was holding a towel to his chin. “He’s got a nasty gash that’s bleeding a lot and I think he hit his head.”

“It’s just not your day, Hoss.”

Once the flight attendant returned with the roll of duct tape, Buck used it to secure the man to the seat. Sure that he wasn’t going anywhere, he moved to where Ezra was still on floor. He took in Ezra’s glazed eyes and sluggish movements. He looked over his shoulder at the flight attendant who’d brought him the tape. “You got a first aid kit...Pam?” he asked taking in her name tag.

“I’ll get it,” Pam said as she nodded.

Buck leaned over Ezra and held two fingers in front of his face. “How many fingers are you seeing?”

“If I tell you at least one and less than six, can we leave it at that?”

Buck huffed out a laugh. “Got your bell run pretty hard.” He could already see the swelling and discoloration from what would be a nasty bruise appearing on Ezra’s cheek. He accepted the first aid kit from Pam and set it down beside him then took over holding the towel to Ezra’s bleeding chin. Before he had a chance to do anything about bandaging the gash, he saw Ezra convulsively swallowing and turning a decided shade of green. He grabbed an airsickness bag from pocket of the seat they were near just in time. When he was sure Ezra was done with it, he helped him lay back down. “Don’t think there’s any doubt you’ve got a concussion this time.”

“I better let the Captain know what’s happening and we’ll need medical assistance,” Carrie said as she got up.

“And now we’ll get diverted,” Ezra said on a sigh. He was beginning to wonder just how long it would be before he’d see his home again. He hissed as Buck used butterfly bandages from the first aid kit to close the gash on his chin and then taped a gauze pad over it.

“Sorry ‘bout that.” He ran his fingers over the back of Ezra’s head. When he encountered a good sized bump, his friend hissed in pain again. “You think you’re ready to get up from the floor?”

“I’d rather not continue down here making a spectacle of myself.” Ezra started to push up to sit but stopped and let out a moan when his head swam. “Please, just help me up,” he whispered once the dizzying merry-go-round feeling had lessened.

As gently as he could, Buck got Ezra up from floor and back to his seat. As he did, Pam came back to them. She handed Buck an ice pack she’d made in the galley and he held it to Ezra’s chin. “We’re going to divert to Chicago,” she said just as the captain came on announcing the same. Once the announcement was finished, she continued, “they’ll have an ambulance waiting when we get there.”

“No,” Ezra said adamantly. “I do not need an ambulance. We don’t even need to land. Can’t we just continue to Denver?”

“I’m sorry,” Pam said with a sympathetic look. “The captain feels it’s best if we divert.”

Buck reached down and squeezed his friend’s shoulder comfortingly. “At least let the medics check you when we land, Ez. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

“Fine,” Ezra huffed out on a sigh. His head was throbbing, he was still feeling slightly nauseated and everything around him kept spinning slightly. He didn’t have it in him to argue. “But you’re going to call Chris and let him know we’re being delayed again.”

Buck had to hold back a groan of his own. “Something to look forward to,” he said with a weak grin.


	6. Chapter 6

In less than an hour, the plane had landed at O’Hare in Chicago. Ezra had spent most of that hour gripping the armrest as tight as he could as he fought off waves of nausea and dizziness as well as a throbbing headache. Buck had insisted on sitting next to him as he decided sitting across the aisle was too far.

Several times the man who was the cause of Ezra’s current suffering had tried to mouth off. Each time, Buck had put a quick end to it. They’d found out, based on the passenger manifest, that his name was David Banks.

As the plane landed and started taxiing to the gate, the captain made another announcement requesting that all passengers remain seated until after the medics had left. Once the plane had stopped, the other three passengers in business class were requested to take free seats in the economy section to give Ezra some privacy while the medics checked him.

Once the plane was at the terminal and stopped, the door was opened. The first through were local police who took custody of Banks. The entire time he was being removed, he kept screaming and shouting at Buck and Ezra that he’d make them pay.

As soon as Banks was taken care of, two EMT’s entered the plane and made their way over to Ezra. “Let me get out of your way,” Buck said as he moved into the aisle behind the row they’d been seated in.

Ezra watched as one of the EMT’s sat in the seat Buck had just vacated and reached for his wrist. “I assure you, gentlemen, I’m fine and don’t require your services.”

“How about if you let us look you over and decide that.”

“If it means I can get off this damnable flying tube faster, fine,” Ezra sighed. Since it was now doubtful that he’d be seeing his home tonight, he at least wanted to get to a hotel as soon as possible. If he had his preference, it would be one with nice, soft, comfortable beds and equally soft pillows. His entire body felt like the dull pain of a toothache from the combination of the bruises from yesterday’s falls and the ones he was sure he acquired in his most recent fall. Added to that was the bright, hot pain that occasionally zigzagged up his right leg from his ankle. At least he hadn’t injured it anymore...at least he didn’t think he did.

“We’ll get you off as soon as possible. My name’s Kevin, by the way. Can you tell me what yours is?”

“Standish. Ezra P. Standish,” he replied with a sigh.

“The P’s for Phillip,” Buck added helpfully.

Ezra craned his neck so he could see Buck standing in the row behind him. “I’m sure he didn’t need that little nugget of information, Mr. Wilmington.”

“Just trying to help.”

Kevin tried to hold back a laugh. “I'm just going to get a set of vitals on you. Can you tell me what happened?”

Before Ezra had a chance to relate the story, Buck launched in relating everything that happened from the time Buck had punched him and he tumbled down the stairs to the most recent incident. To Ezra’s chagrin, he didn’t leave out anything as he related how many times Ezra had vomited to his continuing headache and slight dizziness. Ezra scowled up a Buck, but he didn’t try to make him stop.

“Wow,” Kevin’s as-yet unnamed partner said when Buck was finished. “You have had a bad day.”

“One that I’d like to come to a close…preferably somewhere with a comfortable bed.”

“Well, they did let us use the lounge and bumped us up to business class,” Buck added on.

“Yes, that just makes for the marvelous time I’ve been having. Wonder what they’d do if I’d broken my neck,” Ezra added in dryly. He winced and tried to pull away as Kevin lightly palpated his bruised right cheek.

“Can’t be sure but your cheekbone may have a fracture.” Kevin looked over his shoulder to his partner. “Pupils are equal but they’re a bit sluggish…probably concussion. His blood pressure’s a little low…ninety over fifty.”

“I’ve been prone to low blood pressure,” Ezra quickly interjected trying to stave off that being an excuse for hospitalization.

“We’ll let the hospital know.” Kevin handed his partner the pad he’d recorded Ezra’s vitals on and waited as he radioed the hospital.

“Now, gentlemen, I really don’t think it’s necessary to involve the hospital. Since you’ve done your duty, I don’t suppose you’d let us go on our way. I’m sure there’s still a flight that would get us to Denver today.”

“I think it’s best if we transport you to the hospital and let them rule out a concussion and make sure there’s no fracture in your cheekbone.”  
  


“I knew it,” Ezra whispered before nodding his agreement. No matter how much he just wanted to get home, he knew better than to take a chance with any kind of head injury. He’d had his share of concussions in the past. It was better to be safe than sorry.

Once he’d resigned himself to a hospital trip, he did his best to block out what was happening around him and just go with the flow, as it were. He only responded when a question was asked directly of him. Consequently, he had no real recollection of being moved to the ambulance or of the trip to the hospital.

## M7 M7 M7 M7 M7 M7 M7

At Ezra’s insistence, Buck remained at the airport to claim their luggage. By the time he’d done that, arranged a hotel room, and left the luggage there, and then called Chris to let him know about this latest development, Ezra had already been at the hospital for several hours.

Arriving at the emergency department, he inquired at the check in desk where Ezra was. The receptionist informed him Ezra was still in one of the emergency bays and that someone would be out momentarily to talk with him. At least, he though, his friend hadn’t been admitted...yet.

He took a seat in the waiting room and started flipping through one of the old, outdated magazines on the table. Momentarily ended up being closer to twenty minutes before he heard someone asking if anyone was there for Ezra Standish. He stood up and walked over to woman dressed in scrubs. He was unsure if she were a nurse or doctor. “How’s he doing?” he asked as he approached her.

“We’re still waiting on a few tests. You can come back and wait with him if you’d like.”

“That’d be great.”

Buck was led back to one of the emergency department cubicles where Ezra lay on a gurney. Although he had his left arm over his eyes, Buck was able to see the new bruising and swelling from the latest punch. There was an IV leading to his right arm and wires trailed from the neck of the hospital gown he wore to a cardiac monitor on the wall.

Spotting a rolling stool in one corner, Buck moved it closer to the side of the gurney and sat down. He was careful to keep quiet in case his friend was sleeping.

“You needn’t go into stealth mode,” Ezra said as he dropped his arm from over his eyes. “I’m awake.”

Buck winced as he got a good look at Ezra’s face. In addition to all the bruises, scrapes and black eye from yesterday, his right eye was now bruised as well as his cheek on that side. His eye was also nearly swollen shut. Since there was still some swelling around his left eye, he looked as if he were squinting. “You look like a racoon.”

“So, I’ve been told by two nurses, an x-ray technician, a doctor, and another patient who was waiting for a CT scan,” Ezra snapped.

“Touchy,” Buck mouthed but didn’t vocalize. Instead he asked, “Any idea if they’re going to let you out of here.”

Ezra pulled in a deep sigh. His head was still pounding although the dizziness had mostly abated. His right cheek was throbbing in time with his heartbeat. The only positive was that his ankle wasn’t quite as sore now that it was elevated. “The doctor is still waiting for the results of the CT scan. He hasn’t indicated if he wants to admit me or not. Were you able to rescue our luggage from going on without us?”

“I was able to get it. It’s back the hotel.”

“And Mr. Larabee? Am I right in presuming you’ve spoken with him?”  
  


“Oh yeah. There was a really fun phone call. First, he laughed when I told him what happened. He thought it was a joke. Once he realized it wasn’t...well...they probably heard him hollerin’ in Colorado Springs.”

“Wonderful.” Ezra’s tone said anything but. His assorted injuries of the past few days were going to severely curtail how effective he’d be in the field for some time and that was not going to make the higher ups happy. He just knew that once they were back in Denver, he’d get an ass chewing from his team leader. Maybe, if he were lucky, he’d even get one from Travis as well. “How many different ways did Mr. Larabee threaten to dismember me?”

“Oh hell, you’re safe,” Buck said with a wave of his hand. “It’s me that Chris threatened to shoot, draw and quarter, keel haul...and then send me up to Travis if there’s anything left. He did say, though, that it’s going to be a good long time before he lets you out of his sight and something about not being able to trust any of us to get more than two miles away. You’d think we were kids and couldn’t be allowed out by ourselves.”

“You have to admit, we all seem to have a disproportionate number of incidents any time we’re sent away for training or a seminar or something.”

“It’s not like any of it’s our fault. I mean, look what’s happened to you the last few days. It’s not like any of that was your fault. Stuff just happens sometimes.”

If it weren’t for his eyes being swollen, Ezra would have given Buck a wide-eyed, surprised look. Instead, he continued to lay placidly as he kept to himself that, if anyone were to blame for his recent spate of injuries, it was Buck. Instead, he asked, “Would it be possible to see if you can do anything to affect my emancipation from this place?”

Ezra had no sooner asked the question when the curtain at the entrance to the cubicle was pulled back to admit the doctor. “I believe that’s my cue.” He looked questioningly at Buck.

“This is my associate, Buck Wilmington,” Ezra introduced.

“Ah. Seems you made it here finally.” The doctor held his hand out to Buck. “I’m Dr. Kensington. I’ve been treating Mr. Standish.”

“Nice to meet you. So, how’s Ezra doing.”

Kensington suppressed a grin as Buck skipped past the pleasantries. “I just got back the rest of the testing we did. I was worried that there may have been a hairline fracture of the cheekbone, but the x-rays and CT scan came back clear of that. It’s just extensive soft tissue damage. Although it doesn’t look very pretty and it is painful, it should heal with no complications or other treatment needed.”

“So, I’m free to go.” Ezra moved to get up but was stayed by the doctor’s hand on his shoulder.

“Not so fast. You may not have a fractured cheekbone, but you do have a minor concussion. You’ll have to be monitored for that.”

Ezra closes his eyes. He would have squeezed them shut but wasn’t sure how that would feel with all the facial bruising. He let out a slow breath as he gathered his thought. “I can assure you doctor, I’m well-versed in concussion procedure. I believe if there’s another responsible adult to monitor me, there isn’t any real need to admit me for observation.”

Kensington looked between Ezra and Buck sizing them up. “I suppose you’re his responsible adult,” he asked Buck.

“I am,” and “The jury’s still out on the responsible part.” Buck and Ezra said together.

“I can leave you there,” Buck threatened. When Ezra looked properly chastised, he turned to the doctor. “I know all the signs to look for, Doc. Trust me. You’re better off letting me take him off your hands. He’ll just try to escape if you keep him. If you think that ankle’ll slow him down, you’re dreaming.”

“To be honest, I didn’t see any reason to admit you,” Kensington said. “Provided you’re carefully monitored for any symptoms indicating complications.”

“I’ll keep a careful eye on him,” Buck promised. Ezra knew it wasn’t an idle promise either. It had taken some time, but he now knew without question that his teammates had his back. Even if he hadn’t known that, he’d seen how Buck had been treating him for the last day and half. He knew part of it was guilt, but an even greater part of it was just Buck’s nature to watch out for someone who he thought needed his protection.

“Then a nurse will be in shortly to unhook you from everything and go over your discharge instructions. Do either of you gentlemen have any questions?”

“Will I be able to fly to Denver tomorrow?” Ezra asked.

“I’d prefer you wait at least 48 hours to make sure there are no complications.”

Though disappointed, Ezra agreed with the travel prohibition. Once Buck and Ezra indicated there were no further questions, Dr. Kensington left. They didn’t have to wait long before the nurse who’d brought Buck from the waiting room came in. After she unhooked the IV as well as the cardiac monitor, she went over what they should be looking out for with regards to the concussion as well as wound care for the laceration on Ezra’s chin. Soon, the two men were waiting for a rideshare in front of the hospital.

“May I ask what kind of accommodations you’ve secured?” Up until now, Ezra had tried not to think of what kind of hotel Buck thought would be acceptable. There was no denying the two men had very differing standards. What Buck might think was great could leave Ezra shuddering in fear and afraid to touch the sheets on the bed.

“Don’t worry. It’ll meet your standards and it’s within the agency budget.”

“That still doesn’t answer the question.”

“I know.” Buck grinned as Ezra attempted to glare at him. Even if he were able to match the heat of Chris’s glare, the attempt was marred by his racoon like appearance.

“Mr. Wilmington,” Ezra ground out through clenched teeth. “My head is pounding and there isn’t an inch of body that isn’t aching in some form or another. I don’t particularly want to play games.”

“Ok. Ok.” Buck held his hands up in a placating manner. “It’s a Westin over by the airport. Ok? It’s clean, the beds are comfy, and there’s even a shuttle to and from the airport.”

“That should be suitable.” Although it wasn’t the Ritz or the Four Seasons, Westin hotels were generally acceptable to Ezra.

“There’s even a pizza place close by. We can try some of that Chicago deep dish pizza.”

At the suggestion, Ezra put his hand over his mouth. “Please don’t suggest food, Mr. Wilmington. Just don’t.”

“Sorry.” Buck looked from his phone to an approaching car. “Looks like this is our ride. We should be at the hotel and get you settled in bed before you know it.”

Ezra smiled weakly at Buck’s sudden turn to solicitousness. “Right now, that sounds like the best idea I’ve heard all day.”

Once the car was stopped and Buck had made sure it was the rideshare they’d been waiting for, he assisted Ezra into the backseat then climbed in next to him. As he had when being transferred to the hospital from the airport, Ezra allowed himself to drift off. Most of the ride was a blur to him. Even getting out of the car and going up to the room was hazy at best and the next thing he was really sure of laying beneath the comforter on the bed ad Buck quietly moved around the room. “Buck,” he called softly.

Instantly, Buck was by his side. “Yeah? You need something.”

“I just wanted to thank you.”

“Thank me? Hell, if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be in this fix in the first place and you’d be home in your own bed.”

“I’m not going to argue with you about misplaced guilt. I just want you to know that I do appreciate the care you’ve given me.”

“Hell that?” Buck sat on the edge of Ezra’s bed. He reached over to tuck the comforter a little tighter around his friend. “That’s nothing. You just get some rest and let ol’ Buck see to things.”

Ezra barely nodded. He felt his eyes getting heavier and heavier and let them drift close and sleep over-take him sure in the knowledge Buck would see to things.


	7. Chapter 7

Buck slipped back into the hotel room he and Ezra were sharing as quietly as possible. When it looked like his friend was going to sleep for a while, he’d stepped out long enough to go to the nearby Giordano’s and get a pizza to go. It was just about time for him to wake Ezra and ask all the usual questions to make sure he was oriented to where he was. He hoped he could also get him to eat a little something since he’d had practically nothing to eat the entire day. 

He put the pizza down on the desk and turned on the light there. It provided enough illumination without shining directly on Ezra. 

Before waking his friend, Buck stood and just looked at him for a moment. Somehow, Ezra had rolled over, so he was partially on his right side. Considering the swelling under his right eye, Buck wasn’t sure how he was able to do that comfortably. 

Other than the collection of bruises, Ezra's face was almost as pale as the pillow he lay on. The gauze that covered the stiches in the chin laceration almost blended in. Since he’d pushed the covers down to his waist and didn’t have a shirt on, Buck was able to see the bruising on his chest, back, and arms from his tumble down the stairs. 

Buck sat down on the side of bed. He reached for Ezra’s shoulder, careful to avoid the bruise there, and shook him lightly while calling out his name. 

Ezra let out a little groan then his eyes blinked opened as much as they could considering the bruising the swelling. “More questions,” he grumped. 

“We’ve got to make sure that concussion’s not getting worse. You know the drill.” 

As he pushed up to sit, Ezra accurately recited his full name, birthdate, their current location, and who the current president was. If the answers to the questions weren’t good enough, he also added a recitation of how he’d acquired his injuries ending off with hoping he never saw the Jolly Green Giant again in this lifetime. 

“I guess you’re oriented,” Buck said with a chuckle. “How are you feeling?” He reached to grab the pillows and stuff them behind Ezra’s back so he could lean against them. 

“Considering the past two days, I guess I could feel worse,” Ezra responded with a very slight and delicate shrug. “My head’s not pounding quite as hard and everything else just feels like a very dull toothache right now...if you can have a toothache in your ankle.” 

Buck let out a little chuckle. “I understand what you mean.” He pointed to the pizza box on the desk. “I got some pizza. You feel up to some?” 

“I thought I could smell melting cheese.” Ezra thought for a moment then nodded slightly. “If I don’t agree to eat, you’ll just worry more. A small piece, though.” 

Buck put a slice of pizza on one of the paper plates the restaurant provided. He looked around for a second trying to figure out how Ezra would be able to eat off the paper plate without making mess then remembered seeing a lap desk in the closet. “Here you go.” 

Ezra looked at the slice of deep-dish pizza and then back to Buck. “I hope you don’t expect me to pick that up and eat it...and what’s in it?” 

“Oh. Right.” Buck grabbed a plastic knife and fork from the desk and handed them to Ezra. “It’s a meat and more meat...pepperoni, salami, sausage, and bacon. If it’s too much for you, I can probably get you something from room service.” 

Ezra waved off the offer. “This will be fine.” 

“Ok. There’s a vending machine out in the corridor. I’m gonna go grab something to drink. What can I get you?” 

“If there’s ginger ale, that would be acceptable. Otherwise, water’s fine.” 

“Sure thing.” Buck grabbed the ice bucket, made sure he had a key card and left the room. 

Once Buck had left, Ezra poked at his pizza and carefully shook his head. He wondered what the other man would have done if he’d said he wanted prime rib instead of pizza. At the thought of steak, his jaw gave a twinge of pain from the bruising. “Second thought, I should have sent him for soup.” Gamely, he cut off a small piece of pizza and put it in his mouth. He chewed it carefully before swallowing and then waited to see if his stomach would accept it. Thankfully, his stomach seemed content to accept some nourishment. 

It didn’t take long for Buck to return with a Coke and a bottle of water. “They were out of ginger ale.” He poured some water into a cup and added a few ice cubes and set it on the bedstand where Ezra could reach it. He was happy to see Ezra eating the pizza although he did manage only half the slice before voicing a desire to lay down again. Buck immediately jumped up from where he’d sat to eat his dinner to make sure his friend was comfortable. 

“You need any ice for your face?” 

“No. Please, sit and eat your dinner, Buck. I’ll be fine. I’m just a bit tired.” 

Buck stood by the bed for a few moments before he finally agreed. By the time he finished eating, Ezra was already asleep again. He cleaned up the remains of his meal and then readied himself for bed. He was surprised to see that it was still early – just barely 8:00 pm. It felt like the day had been never ending. 

After another quick look to make sure Ezra was still sleeping soundly, he stretched out on his bed. He found a game on TV to watch but kept the volume muted so as not to disturb the sleeping man. He’d have to wake him in a couple of hours to make sure there still weren’t any signs or symptoms that meant the concussion was growing worse and they should be heading back to the hospital. Once he did that, he should be able to let Ezra sleep through to morning with only one more wake up. 

He heard a grunt from the other bed as Ezra shifted into a different position. He was ready to go over a check on him when he heard a soft sigh and his friend settled down once more. 

M7 M7 M7 M7 M7 M7 M7 

The room was dark and quiet. Buck had awakened Ezra a couple of hours ago for another check and found his friend was still oriented although the headache did persist. Satisfied there was no need to bundle Ezra back to the hospital, Buck had let him settle down to sleep. He’d also turned off the TV and settled down for the night himself. 

Buck had been having a pleasant dream when a sound pulled him awake. He lay still trying to figure out what it was, but other than the hiss of the HVAC system, the room was silent. He mentally shrugged and was rolling over to go back to sleep when he heard it again and knew it came from Ezra. 

Worried that his friend was in pain or ill, he turned on the reading lamp over his bed so there’d be some light in the room then went to check on Ezra. The sound repeated but it wasn’t a sound of pain...at least not physical pain. The sound was more of a whimper and he decided that Ezra must have been having a bad dream of some sort. He was torn between waking him up – and potentially embarrassing him or letting him be. When Ezra made the sound once more, the big-hearted man couldn’t walk away. 

As he had earlier in the night, Buck gently shook Ezra’s shoulder being careful to avoid any bruises there. “Ezra?” he softly called. “You’re having a bad dream. C’mon. Wake up.” 

Ezra pulled in a deep breath and let out a torturous “noooo.” He stirred under Buck’s hand and his eyes slowly blinked open, but Buck wasn’t sure he was seeing him. 

“Ezra? You awake?” 

“Buck?” Ezra asked in a breathy voice as he grasped the hand still on his shoulder. 

“The one and only.” Buck didn’t pull his hand away until Ezra had released it. 

Ezra slowly pushed up to sit against the head of the bed. He looked around the dimly lit room as if he were trying to remind himself of where he was...or even when. “I was dreaming,” he said needlessly. 

Buck nodded and moved to sit on the edge of his bed to give Ezra some space. “Didn’t look like it was a very pleasant one. Wanna talk about it?” he offered. Honestly, he didn’t expect Ezra to take him up on the offer. Even though he’d grown surer in his trust of his teammates, there was still something in Ezra that had him pulling to himself in these situations, so Buck was surprised when he saw a small nod. 

“Do you remember your father,” Ezra asked. He couldn’t remember Buck ever talking about his father but that didn’t mean he hadn’t known him. 

“I never knew him.” Buck shrugged. “I never really asked Mom about him and I guess she didn’t think I needed to know. Couldn’t even tell you if he’s alive to be honest.” 

“And this doesn’t bother you.” 

Buck sat quietly for a few moments thinking about Ezra’s question. “I try not to let it,” he finally said. “Sometimes I wish I knew who he was...maybe know what I got from him. There’s nothing I can really do about that, though, so it’s best not to think about it.” Buck was again silent for a few seconds before asking, “That what you were dreaming about – your Dad?” 

Ezra was always close-mouthed when it came to his past. What little Buck and the others knew of Ezra’s father came courtesy of Maude. Had she not been worried about her son’s health at the time, there was little doubt she wouldn’t have opened up about it. Even though Ezra had said he wanted to talk about what he’d been dreaming about, Buck definitely didn’t think he’d answer if it were about his father. When Ezra nodded again, he was very surprised although he tried to not to show it. 

“His death, to be more precise.” 

“Your mother said you were just a little guy when it happened.” 

A quick, half-smile flitted across Ezra’s face almost faster than Buck could see it. “Ah, yes. I’d almost forgotten Mother had chosen to disclose that information to you gentlemen.” 

“She was worried about you.” 

Ezra shifted uncomfortably. Although he’d be the first to say that his relationship with his mother had changed somewhat and improved since his bout of appendicitis, it still made him uncomfortable. She’d taught him from an early age to hide his feelings. It was a hard habit to break. 

“What was the dream about,” Buck asked to get Ezra on track and past talk of Maude. 

“You must understand. I wasn’t a naïve child even if were only six.” 

Buck was going to say that it was unlikely Ezra had ever been naïve even as a child but didn’t want to say anything that would force Ezra back behind the walls he liked to erect. Instead, he just nodded. 

“I understood the concept of death and that it meant the person would not be coming back. I even knew that wakes and funerals were a means to say goodbye. I just never really knew quite what happened at them. It never crossed my mind that the deceased were actually “in attendance”, so to say, and I guess it never crossed Mother’s mind to prepare me.” 

As Ezra spoke, Buck noticed how he drew in on himself ever so slightly. He’d wrapped his arms around his chest and his gaze was locked on the blanket over his lap. His voice had become hushed and, though not a monotone, was devoid of its usual animation. He couldn’t imagine how shocking and frightening it would be for a six-year-old child to walk into a funeral home and see a deceased person, let alone his father, if he hadn’t been told that would happen. 

“I’m ashamed to admit I made a bit of a scene when we walked into the room where Da...Father was. I just couldn’t fathom that there would be a dead person just out in the midst of people, so someone had to have made a mistake. Da...Father couldn’t be dead. He was just sleeping in that strange bed.” 

“Oh Lord,” Buck couldn’t help but breathe out. 

“I ran up to the casket and started begging Daddy to wake up.” This time, Ezra didn’t censor himself from using the diminutive name for his father. “I kept telling him it wasn’t polite for him to be sleeping with all the people looking on.” He chanced a quick glance over to Buck before continuing. “Mother was too shocked to do anything. Aunt Vera – she's was Father’s eldest sister – picked me up and took me out of the room. She just kept telling me to hush but I just wanted to go back and wake up Daddy. They had to be wrong. He just looked like he was sleeping.” His voice trailed off. 

Buck moved from the edge of his bed to Ezra’s. Hey. You were only a little kid. How were you supposed to know?” 

Ezra shook his head slightly. “That didn’t stop my ever so proper Grandfather and Grandmother LeBeau from castigating Mother for raising me poorly and allowing me to act in such an embarrassing and undignied manner. I don’t suppose I did Mother any good when I pointedly told Grandfather to leave my Mama alone and that I didn’t like him.” 

It was hard for Buck to miss the distaste when Ezra spoke of his maternal grandparents. He remembered Maude mentioning that Ezra had a less than pleasant relationship with his grandfather. He looked down to hide his smile at the thought of a little six-year-old Ezra taking on his grandfather. He’d seen Ezra’s explosions of temper several times and had a feeling it wasn’t any quieter when he was a child. 

“Do you know what I remember most from that time?” Ezra rhetorically asked Buck. “I remember the bickering and the arguing. The Standishes and LeBeau's didn’t get along very well. Everyone was blaming everyone else and keeping to their own sides with Mother and I caught in between.” 

“That had to be tough especially for a little kid.” Buck could easily understand how that time would still haunt Ezra’s dreams all these years later. He couldn’t imagine how it must have felt to be a small child experiencing the loss of a parent and then having all the adults around you arguing and playing the blame game. He had a feeling Ezra was leaving a lot out, but he was coming to have more of an appreciation of why his friend would so often hide how he was feeling from the others and why it took so long for him to learn to trust. 

“When we were at the funeral mass,” Ezra continued without acknowledging what Buck had said, “the priest droned on and on during the homily. It felt like it was never going to end. Mother and Father rarely, if ever, took me to church. ‘Too many ants in my pants’, Father would say. The rare occasions we did go, he’d always find something to distract me, but this time, he wasn’t there.” 

“And you had ants in your pants?” 

“Something like that,” Ezra answered with a shrug. “I wasn’t paying much attention and was looking all around. I noticed the cloth they’d put on the casket was fluttering a bit and then, suddenly, a door slammed closed and the flutter stopped.” He looked over to Buck, an embarrassed half-smile on his face. “I’m sure there was a draft from somewhere that caused it all, but...” he trailed off with another shrug. 

“But you were six and your imagination went wild,” Buck finished for him. 

“That’s a good way to put it, I guess. I started yelling, and crying, and carrying on. I wouldn’t stop clinging to Mother’s neck. Aunt Vera had to take me out again. It was decided that she would take me banquet room where the reception would be held afterwards instead of going to the graveside services. It was the first of many times I’d be sent off with a relative so I wouldn’t prove to be a disruptive presence.” 

“Disruptive?” Buck exploded. “You were just a little boy and you lost your Dad. Did everyone expect you to act like an adult or something? And why didn’t your aunt just leave you with your mama? A little boy needs his mama at times like that.” 

“Don’t hold it against Aunt Vera. I’ve always been quite fond of her. She never had children of her own, so she used to tell us all of her nieces and nephews were her children.” Ezra smiled softly as he thought of his aunt. “She always smelled of lavender and had hugs to spare. And she’d always have a piece of my favorite chocolate whenever I saw her.” He shook himself from the memories of his aunt. “As for acting like an adult? Yes. That’s exactly what was expected – especially from Grandfather LeBeau. My last name may have been Standish, but I was still a Lebeau and it was expected I would act properly. Instead, I was embarrassing him and the rest of the LeBeau’s. He let Mother know in no uncertain terms that she was to take me in hand at once. I guess that’s why I always enjoyed when Mother would leave me with Aunt Vera. She only ever expected me to be a child.” 

Buck let out a low whistle. “Your grandfather’s a real piece of work...and your grandmother was ok with that?” 

“Yes, he was. Grandmother was a Beaufort...a bit higher up in the pecking order than the LeBeau’s. She expected no less than Grandfather did. They nearly disowned mother when she married father. He was just a no-name accountant with no social standing. It didn’t help that he was from Massachusetts. Nor did it matter that the LeBeau fortune was made through gambling, shady business dealings, and outright cons. It was a respected name. Mother gave me the middle name Phillip appease them, I guess. That was Grandfather’s name. My sister was Madeline after Grandmother.” 

Since Maude had sworn them all to secrecy, Buck didn’t let on that he knew about Ezra’s middle name. However, the mention of a sister caught him by surprise. “Sister? I thought you were an only child?” 

“I am,” Ezra confirmed. “Mother was with child when Father passed. They’d agreed if it were a girl, her name would be Madeline. Mother lost the baby a month of two after Father’s accident. It’s not something she speaks of.” He pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly as if he were trying to physically distance himself from the past. He looked over to the bedside clock and saw that it was nearing 3:30 am. He shook his head slowly. “It’s late and I’m keeping you awake prattling on about being a foolish child. I apologize.” 

Buck gently grasped Ezra’s shoulder and gave him a careful shake. “Hey, don’t apologize. I bet it’s been a long time since you’ve told anybody about all that.” He eyed the other man for a few seconds and then amended, “hell, a long time? I bet you’ve never told anyone that and you’ve just been keeping it all bottled up inside. It doesn’t matter how late or early it is. You need to talk about it, I’m gonna listen.” 

Ezra reached up to pat the hand still on his shoulder. “Thank you. It seems this trip has been more than either of us bargained for?” He tried to hold back a yawn without any luck. 

“That seems to be usual for all of us.” Buck caught the hidden yawn. “You, however, need to get some sleep. You know rest is the best thing for a concussion.” He got up from the side of the bed and helped Ezra settle back down then pulled the covers over him. “I think you should be able to sleep until morning without any more wake-up calls.” He moved back to his bed and got comfortable. “You just yell out if you need anything,” he said as he reached to turn out the light. The room was plunged back into darkness except for the small bit of light coming in around the drapes. 

“Mr. Wil...Buck,” Ezra said after a minute or two of silence. “What I spoke about...I’m hoping that can remain between the two of us and you won’t share it with our compatriots.” 

Buck raised himself up on one elbow and looked over to Ezra. With the small bit of illumination in the room, he could just make out the tense form of his friend. “You have my word, Ez. I won’t mention it to anyone.” 

“Thank you,” Ezra said softly before curling up on his side. Within minutes, his even, deep breaths signaled that he’d fallen asleep. 

Buck lay awake for another little while thinking about what Ezra had told him. He’d always thought Ezra’s slowness to trust him and the rest of the team and the walls he hid behind were related to his time with the FBI in Atlanta. Now, he was beginning to wonder if that all started hearing the arguments of family when his father passed away and the expectation that he’d behave like a small adult instead of a child. He also had a little more insight into Maude. It couldn’t have been easy to lose a husband and child in such a short time. Unfortunately, it seems it was Ezra who paid the price. “You got a lot of hurt you’re keeping inside, Hoss,” he whispered before letting sleep overtake him as well.


	8. Chapter 8

Sunlight coming around the edges of the drapes woke Buck. He grumbled a bit and pulled the pillow over his face to try to block it and get a little more sleep, but once he was awake, he was awake. Sitting up in bed, he looked over to where Ezra was still peacefully sleeping unbothered by the sunlight that didn’t reach that far. “Now I know why you took that bed,” he grumbled. There was no heat in his complaint, though. He knew Ezra needed the rest.

He scrubbed his hands over his face a few times trying to wake himself up fully, then back through his hair making it stick up in all directions. He checked the time, just a little after seven. He debated waking Ezra to make sure he was still oriented or letting him continue to sleep until he woke naturally. “Shower, then I’ll figure it out,” he said to the room at large.

Gathering what he’d need for a shower, he stopped by Ezra’s bed to check him. The sleeping man was loosely sprawled across the bed with the covers pushed down to his waist. Getting another good look at all the bruises on his friend’s body, Buck winced a little. He had to give Ezra credit. A lot of people took one look at him and his designer suits and made a snap judgment that he was soft and given to complaining, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Hidden under those suits was a body that was kept in good shape. Ezra might complain over something as inconsequential as paper cut but more serious injuries generally found him stoically hiding his pain. That was one of the reasons why Buck knew his friend was hurting. He’d heard very few complaints from him since the fall down the stairs.

“Take a picture, it will last longer,” Ezra grumbled when Buck continued to watch him.

“I didn’t realize you were awake. Sorry.”

“I wasn’t.” Ezra rolled over and sat up. Mimicking Buck’s actions of earlier, he scrubbed his hands over his face, carefully avoiding the bruising and swelling, then back through his hair. “Do you know how hard it is to sleep with someone breathing over you?”

“Sorry about that. I just wanted to make sure you were ok.”

“Well, now you know. I think the least you can do to make up for it would be to let me have the first shower.”

“Hang on. There’s no way you’re taking a shower balancing on one leg. What are you trying to do? Break your arm?”

“You used that same argument on me yesterday. I am not going another day making do with a sponge bath. I’m going to take a shower. You can either help me, or just stay out of my way.” Ezra threw his legs over the side of the bed, holding back a hiss of pain when he jostled his broken ankle. He reached for the crutches and started to stand.

“Ok. Ok.” Buck said when he saw Ezra’s determination. “I’ll help you. I don’t think this is a good idea, but I’ll help you. Just give me a second to get things ready.”

Ezra put the crutches back and sat back on the side of the bed. “When I’m done, we should see about getting a flight out to Denver today.”

Buck, who’d been going through Ezra’s suitcase to get clothes for him stopped and turned back to his friend. “Absolutely not. Unless you’ve developed amnesia, in which case we should be on our way back to the hospital, you heard the doctor say at least 24 hours before you got back on a plane.”

“He was being overly cautious,” Ezra argued. “There is no reason we can’t finally complete out journey today.”

“No reason other than you could have a brain bleed and up in a coma or dead on the plane. And if you think I’m going to be the one to call Chris and explain that to him, you really must have brain damage. We are going to do exactly what the doctor said. I’ll help you take your damned shower, but you are going to spend the day resting like you’re supposed to.”

Ezra was caught off-guard by Buck’s vehemence. Throughout their whole ordeal trying to get back to Denver, he’d been nothing but patient and solicitous – except when dealing with the man dubbed the Jolly Green Giant. He knew that was in part because Buck felt guilty about causing his injuries even if it had been unintentional. That Buck was losing his patience now said something. “Ok,” he agreed. “We’ll stay here for the day.”

“Good.” Buck held up a handful of clothes he’d taken from Ezra’s suitcase. “Now tell me where you packed some casual clothes ‘cause there’s nothing like that in here and I know the only thing in that garment bag is a bunch of suits.”

“I packed for a conference.” At Buck’s quizzical look, Ezra further explained, “I saw no need to pack casual clothes since there was no downtime planned.”

“You’re kidding. So, all you packed were suits? You gotta learn to relax, Hoss.”

Ezra just stopped himself from rolling his eyes. “One of us had to give the impression that our team does know how to dress appropriately.” He eyed the faded jeans and long-sleeved Colorado Avalanche t-shirt Buck had thrown on his bed to wear for the day. “Take out the trousers from the Zegna and a white shirt,” he instead instructed. Once more, he got a quizzical look from Buck. “Like you’d know a Zegna from an Armani,” he muttered under his breath. Louder, he said, “the charcoal grey suit.”

“I know Zegna from Armani,” Buck griped. He kept it to himself that all he had to do was look at the tags to figure that out. “I’m just trying to figure out why you want to be wearing suit pants and a dress shirt just to lounge around a hotel room all day.” He tossed on the foot of the bed a pair of the track pants and a t-shirt that hadn’t been in the packing cube labeled laundry. Even though he knew Ezra commonly used them as pajamas, it was the only thing close to casual wear.

“You expect me to wear sleeping attire all day, instead?” Ezra asked with an arched brow.

“The most we’re going to do is go downstairs to the restaurant to get something to eat.” Buck had been the model of patience up until now but Ezra’s fussiness about his attire was starting to exasperate him. “What does it matter what you have on?”

“I will not be seen dining out in inappropriate clothes.”

“Ok, fine,” Buck griped. “I’ll get the damned suit pants and shirt.” So far, it seemed all he’d done was butt heads with Ezra this morning and he was done with it. He certainly didn’t regret sitting up with Ezra after the dream about his father’s death had woken him up, but that coupled his heightened awareness of his friend all night, had meant a less than satisfying night’s sleep. “You want to dress like some GQ model, what’s it to me?”

There was silence in the room while Buck pulled out the requested garments. “I’m sorry,” Ezra said to break it. “I realize you’re only trying to help and I’m being...difficult.” He waved in the direction of the bathroom. “Go. Take a shower like you were going to. I can get ready when you’re done.”

Buck saw the look of contriteness on Ezra’s face. He came over and dropped down to sit beside him on the bed. “C’mon. Don’t be like that. I didn’t mean to snap at you.” He ran a hand back through his hair making it stick up even more than it already was. He bumped his shoulder lightly against Ezra’s. “We’re just snapping at each other because we’ve been together too long. That’s all.”

 _Together too long_ were words Ezra hated to hear. They were words that usually preceded him being sent off to yet another relative. “Yes. I suppose so,” he said with a forced smile. He nodded to the track pants and t-shirt still on the bed. “Those will be fine.”

“Hey, I can get out whatever you want. You just let me know.” Buck had noticed some subtle change in Ezra. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it almost reminded him of how Ezra had been when he’d first joined Team 7 and always seemed to walk on eggshells trying to fit in.

“Really, that will be fine. As you said, it’ll be more comfortable if we’re just going to be in the room all day.” Ezra turned a weak smile in Buck’s direction. “Please, go take your shower now. If you’ll just hand me my novel, I’ll catch up on some reading until it’s my turn.”

Buck was tempted to point out that reading would most likely make the headache Ezra probably still had from the concussion worse, but quickly changed his mind not wanting to cause any more upset. “Sure thing.” He found the book in Ezra’s bag and handed it to him. “I’ll be out in a jiff.”

Ezra waited for the bathroom door to close behind Buck before settling back against the pillows. He opened to book to where he’d left off but didn’t read more than a couple of pages before his head started to throb and he had trouble concentrating. They were both symptoms of a concussion and he should have known to expect it. Irritably, he snapped the book shut and put it on the bed beside him. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the pillows but that didn’t seem to help much.

Gingerly, he got up from the bed and grabbed the crutches. Once he was balanced, he hobbled over to the dresser where Buck had left the bottle of ibuprofen the night before. He swallowed three of them followed by the rest of the bottle of water he’d been drinking last night then hobbled back to the bed.

He lay back against the pillows again and closed his eyes. He could hear the spray of the shower and what sounded like Buck singing. He found the sounds oddly comforting and soon drifted off to that twilight place that wasn’t quite sleeping but wasn’t awake.

M7M7M7M7M7M7M7

“Hey. I’ve got an idea,” Buck said as he came out of the shower fifteen minutes later. He trailed off when he saw Ezra lying with his eyes closed. He noticed that the bottle of ibuprofen on the dresser was opened.

“Knew you were probably hurting,” he whispered as he looked down at Ezra. He picked up the book from the bed and put it on the nightstand then reached over and flipped the blankets over the sleeping man. When he did, Ezra let out a contented sigh and snuggled down into them.

“You just rest and ol’ Buck’ll take care of everything,” he whispered.

M7M7M7M7M7M7M7

It was another two hours before Ezra woke up again. In that time, Buck had called down to room service and ordered breakfast for himself. Since he didn’t know how long the other man would sleep, he didn’t get anything for him.

He didn’t want to risk waking the other man by turning on the TV so, when boredom overtook him, he reached for the book Ezra was reading and started flipping through it. It was a battered and dog-eared copy of _The Three Musketeers_ and Buck wondered how many times his friend had read it. He remembered reading it once some years ago.

The sounds of movement from the other bed accompanied by some groans had him turning to Ezra just as his eyes opened. “Hey there, Sleepyhead,” he greeted.

Ezra blinked a few times before rubbing his hand over his eyes then sitting up. “I fell asleep,” he half-asked, half-stated. “How long?”

Buck returned the book to the nightstand then crossed the small distance between the two beds. “A couple of hours. You feeling better? I know your head must have still been hurting you.”

“Some,” Ezra answered as he pushed up to sit. “I hope I didn’t delay your breakfast.”

“Nah. I called down for room service. I didn’t want to get you anything since I didn’t know how long you’d sleep. If you want, I can all now.”

Before Ezra could answer, his stomach gurgled hungrily, and he let out an embarrassed chuckle. “That might be a good idea.” He accepted the room service menu Buck handed him and scanned it. “The French toast sounds good. And coffee...a lot of coffee.”

“Wondered how long you were going to go without your magic elixir. Let me just call it in and I’ll help you with your shower. I had an idea about making it easier for you.”

“An idea?” Ezra hesitantly questioned. “You do remember telling the doctor that you were the responsible adult?” he half-joked. Having seen some of Buck’s ideas in the past, and knew that they were usually of the “adult” variety.

“Ha ha. You wanna take a shower or not.”

Ezra turned on the bed and grabbed his crutches. “Please, do lead on Mr. Wilmington. I’m anxious to see this idea.”

When they reached the bathroom, Buck stepped out of the way and made a grandiose gesture with his arm that Ezra should go in first. He took one step in, froze, then glared over his shoulder at Buck. “What is that thing,” he demanded through gritted teeth as he jabbed a finger at the plastic bench in the bathtub.

The anger radiating off Ezra was the last thing Buck expected. “It’s a shower bench. It makes showering easier for...”

“I know what it’s for,” Ezra interrupted. “I am not disabled. My condition is temporary.”

All Buck could do for a couple of seconds was just stare at Ezra. Every line of his tense posture radiated anger and something else. It took Buck a second to figure out what the something else was. It was fear...fear of losing his independence. He knew...everyone knew...that Ezra was a fiercely independent person. For some reason, he was seeing the shower bench not as an aid but a removal of his independence.

“Now hang on there, Ez. Don’t be getting your dander up. That’s nothing but a tool to make your life a little easier. I thought you’d rather take a shower on your own instead of having me in here helping you every step of the way but if that’s what you’d rather...” He left it unsaid that he could remove the shower bench and just hang on to Ezra the entire time he was showering to make sure he didn’t fall.

Ezra hung his head at Buck’s words and squeezed his eyes shut. Here his friend thought he was doing something to help him and, again, he biting his head off. “Again, I apologize. It seems I’ve allowed my injuries to make me irritable and have taken it out on you. I realize you’re only trying to help, Buck. I’m sorry if I seem ungrateful.”

“Anybody’d be a little irritable after what you’ve gone through the last few days. You just get yourself a nice, relaxing shower. By the time you’re done, I bet your breakfast will be here.” Buck gave a quick pat to Ezra’s shoulder then left him to his own devices.

M7 M7 M7 M7 M7 M7 M7

When Ezra emerged from the bathroom, his breakfast was already there and set up on the desk. “What is that on your face?” Buck asked as he walked by.

Ezra immediately reached up and touched his face. “Oh lord. I forgot.” He carefully unpeeled the tape holding the piece of plastic to his face. “I didn’t want to get the stitches wet.”

“Makes sense. I forgot they had to be covered.”

Once Ezra was settled in the desk chair, Buck grabbed one of the trashcans in the room and upended it to support his friend’s broken ankle. Ezra distractedly nodded his thanks. He was too busy indulging in what was, surprisingly, a good cup of coffee. Buck shook his head slightly and smiled at the look of bliss on the other man’s face. There was no denying Ezra did like a good cup of coffee.

Once he’d assuaged his need for caffeine, Ezra tucked into his breakfast. “This is very good,” he said between bites of the French Toast. After eating hardly anything the previous day, he was quite hungry.

The plate of French toast and the accompanying bacon was gone. Asking Buck to bring another cup of coffee over to him, Ezra settled down on his bed once more to read. Thankfully, the Ibuprofen had helped, and he was able to concentrate on the book. He spent most of the day quietly reading or just resting.

While Ezra relaxed in the room, Buck went downstairs. With the concierge’s help, he was able to book them on a flight to Denver leaving late the next morning. Once that was taken care of, he called Chris to update him on their new travel plans.

After getting off to a slightly rocky start, the day ended up being a quiet and relaxed one for the two men. They turned in early eager to complete their travel and finally get home the next day.


	9. Chapter 9

Bright and early the next morning, Buck and Ezra were at O’Hare for their flight to Denver. When booking the flight, Buck had had the forethought to inquire about wheelchair service to get Ezra through security and to the gate. He thought his friend might be upset with the idea, but Ezra ended up welcoming it. After the experience of traversing BWI on crutches, he hadn’t been looking forward to doing it again.

Security wasn’t been backed up and they made it to the gate with just under an hour to spare until their flight would board. Ezra opted not to remain in the wheelchair assuring the airline personnel he’d be able to make it to the plane under his own power. Again, he and Buck were offered the option to pre-board. Unfortunately, this time the flight was fully booked and there was no chance of being bumped up to business class.

They’d been seated in the gate area for a few minutes people watching. “You know, I’m certain we passed a Starbucks on our way here from security.” As he made the observation, Ezra kept his voice disinterested.

“Huh?” Passing flight attendants going to and from nearby gates distracted Buck so he didn’t hear his friend.

“I said I thought we’d passed a Starbucks on way from security.”

Buck caught the note of hopefulness in Ezra’s voice but decided to have a little fun with him and pretend he didn’t hear it. “Yeah. I guess we did. There’s probably a bunch of them in here what with everyone going here and there.”

“Yes. I suppose there probably is.” Ezra was quiet for a few seconds before he spoke again. “It’s a pity the coffee in the hotel restaurant wasn’t very good this morning...and that the Starbucks in the lobby hadn’t opened yet.”

Buck had to cover his face with his hand when a chuckle almost escaped as Ezra upped the ante going so far as to pull out the puppy dog eyes that worked so well for JD. He wondered just how far his friend would go before he’d outright ask him to get him a cup of coffee. He snuck a quick look over at him. Ezra was lightly fingering the bruise under his eye from where Banks had hit him. The swelling had gone down so he was able to open both eyes almost completely but the bruising around both still gave him the appearance of a racoon. That, coupled with the stitches in his chin, the split lip, and the assorted bruises dotting his face gave him the appearance of being in a losing boxing match. Again, Buck felt the guilt that he was the cause of Ezra’s injuries and heaved a sigh. “I can go get you a cup if you want.”

“No. No. I don’t want to trouble you.”

Now Ezra was milking it for all it was worth. “No trouble. I might just get myself one as well.” Buck stood up and made sure his wallet was in his pocket. “What do you want?”

“Venti Americano,” Ezra quickly answered as he reached for his phone. “I insist on paying, however. I can just order it and whatever you’d like on the mobile app and then you’ll only need to pick it up.”

This time, Buck didn’t hold back the chuckle. “Of course, you’d have a coffee app.” He told Ezra what he wanted and waited while his friend put the order in via the phone app. “Be back in a jiff,” he said once it was placed.

Once Buck was gone, Ezra reached into his carry on for the copy of Newsweek he’d picked up at the hotel giftshop. He’d only read a few paragraphs of an article before he felt a slight throbbing behind his eyes and sighed. He knew from previous experience with concussions it could be up to a week before he’d be able to read more than the lightest of fluff without triggering a headache. He closed his eyes and gently rubbed across his forehead. Hopefully, the slight throbbing wouldn’t turn into a full-blown headache.

A loud voice called out, “You little pipsqueak. You’re everywhere I go,” causing Ezra to jerk his head up and snap his eyes open. He was dismayed to see David Banks, the man Buck dubbed the Jolly Green Giant, bearing down on him. He didn’t have time to wonder how the man made it out of police custody and was in the airport before the man was looming over him.

“I told you I’d make you pay.” He reached and grabbed Ezra by his shirt front and jerked him up from the chair.

Ezra couldn’t believe his luck. Three times running into this man and being manhandled and assaulted by him was more than he could take. He stumbled a bit when jerked from the chair but quickly regained his balance and broke Banks’s hold on him. When he did, Banks started to throw a punch.

The fist coming toward his face was the last thing Ezra saw clearly. It was as if he were looking through a fish-eye lens and the sounds around him seemed to come from far away. Fueled by adrenaline, he blocked the punch despite being hampered by his injuries. Lightning fast, he threw one of his own. The next thing he was cognizant of was being on the floor with his knee pressed to Banks’s sternum and his forearm braced under the man’s chin pushing his head back as someone pulled at his shoulder urging him to let go.

M7M7M7M7M7M7M7

Buck was walking back with the two cups of coffee when he saw a group of people gathered by the gate his and Ezra’s flight was leaving from and wondered what was going on. As he got a little closer, he could see two bodies on the floor in what looked like a struggle. The one on top was wearing a very fashionable charcoal grey Zegna suit. “Oh crap,” he said as he identified Ezra as one of the combatants. He tossed the cups of coffee in a nearby trash can and ran to intervene. He got there just as security did.

“What the hell’s going on?” he asked as he grabbed Ezra’s shoulder and pulled him back. “Ezra! Let him go.”

After several entreaties to let Banks go, Ezra finally turned to look at Buck. His eyes blinked as if he were coming back to himself. “Buck?” he questioned unsteadily, his chest heaving with his breaths.

“Yeah.” Buck carefully helped Ezra to his feet and settled him back on one of the chairs as security approached them. He waved them back and pulled out his ATF ID. “What the hell happened?”

“He...I...,” Ezra began to answer, but couldn’t pull his thoughts together.

“I saw everything,” a deep voice said. Buck glanced in the direction of the voice and saw a tall, well-built man stepping forward. “The little guy was just sitting there minding his own business and this guy comes up and grabs him. He was yelling about making him pay and tried to punch him, but the little guy blocked it and laid him on the floor with one punch.” The man seemed impressed by Ezra’s fighting skills.

Buck crouched beside Ezra. He saw that his friend was breathing hard and looked a little dazed. “Hey? You ok?”

Ezra gave a short nod. “Fine. I’m fine,” he mumbled.

Buck wasn’t convinced. Ezra might have been doing better with the concussion, but brawling didn’t top the list of care instructions the doctor had given. He looked critically at Ezra for another few seconds before nodding and standing up. He started to explain to the responding officers the two separate incidents had had occurred with Banks. However, they all found themselves in the security office.

By the time they made it to the office, Ezra had come out of the daze he was in at the gate.

In addition to the passenger who’d described the events at the gate, two other passengers and the airline gate agent had all corroborated the story. Banks found himself being escorted out of O’Hare for the second time in three days by the police. Unfortunately, in the time it took to straighten everything out and fill out the paperwork, Buck and Ezra’s flight had departed.

The airline booked them on the next available flight to Denver and offered them complimentary access to the first-class lounge where they could wait the three hours until the flight.

“I suppose one of us should call Mr. Larabee and let him know about our latest delay. It’s a pity the bruising on my knuckles makes it painful to hold the phone.”

Buck eyed Ezra’s right hand where he had it flat on the table between them with an icepack on it. “You got two hands,” he grumbled but he pulled out his phone and dialed Chris. The call was short. As soon as he heard Buck’s voice, Chris immediately anticipated what the call was about. “He’s going to kill us,” Buck said as he ended the call.

“And why do you say that? I couldn’t hear any shouting.”

“That’s just it. He was way too calm...and he wants to see us both tomorrow morning.”

Ezra paled visibly at Buck’s words. “You’re right. He’s going to kill us. He’s probably planning how he’s going to hide our bodies.”

M7 M7 M7 M7 M7 M7 M7

After all the difficulties and delays, to Ezra’s and Buck’s immense satisfaction, once they boarded the flight to Denver, everything went off without a hitch. Just over two hours after take-off, they were on the ground in Denver.

“I was beginning to believe we weren’t going to make it.”

“You and me both, Hoss.” Buck pulled in a deep breath. “It’s good to be home.”

Wheelchair service had also been arranged for their arrival in Denver and it was a good thing. The knuckles of Ezra’s right hand were so bruised and swollen, it made using the crutches nearly impossible for him.

As they exited the security area on their way to baggage claim, they saw Nathan headed their way. “Good lord. I’ll be lucky if he doesn’t put me in traction,” Ezra said loud enough for only Buck to hear.

“Could be worse. I could have been Chris.”

“Yes. At least we get to put off our imminent demise a bit longer. How fortunate.”

“Hey, guys,” Nathan said when he caught up with them then whistled softly under his breath. “Chris said you’d had a bit of accident, but I wasn’t expecting this.”

“You should see the other guy,” Buck half-joked.

Nathan looked down to where Ezra was cradling his right hand in his lap. “If your hand looks like that, he must look worse.”

“Suffice to say, he won’t be forgetting us any time soon. Let’s continue on to baggage claim. I’d like to see my bed before tomorrow morning is dawning.”

They arrived in baggage claim to an airline employee calling out their names. Although they’d missed their originally scheduled flight, their luggage hadn’t and had arrived before them. It had been pulled aside and was in the lost luggage office. Both men were grateful that they were able to just collect it and leave before the baggage from the flight they were on made an appearance.

The wheelchair was only able to go as far as the exit door and it was obvious Ezra wouldn’t be able to traverse the parking lot. He was barely able to grasp the crutch with his right hand because of the swollen and bruised knuckles. He was left with no choice but to sit on a bench in the pick-up area and wait for Nathan to get his Explorer and pick him up there. Buck volunteered to wait with him but, instead, Ezra pulled his keys from his pocket and handed them to him. “You may as well drive my Jag back so it’s not in long term parking any longer than necessary.”

Buck accepted the keys knowing how much trust Ezra was putting in him. “Don’t worry. I won’t put a scratch on it...and I might even stick to the speed limit.”

“Please see that you do.”

Ezra had to wait only a few minutes after Buck left to get the Jag for Nathan to drive up. “Where’d Buck go?” he asked as he started putting the luggage in the back.

“Mr. Wilmington has agreed to drive my vehicle back, so it doesn’t keep accumulating long term parking fees. He’ll meet us at my home.” Ezra made his way over to Nathan’s explorer using just one crutch. It wasn’t as easy as using two, but until he could easily grasp with his right hand, it would have to do.

As Ezra settled in the passenger seat, Nathan gently took his hand and examined his bruised knuckles. “You sure you don’t need to run by the hospital and get an x-ray. You could have broken something.”

Ezra extricated his hand from Nathan’s grasp and slowly flexed his fingers. He tried to hold back a wince at the pain. “Just a bruise, Mr. Jackson. There’s no need for yet another hospital trip. I’ve had my fill of the establishments to last a while.”

“If you say so, but you let me know if you change your mind.”

“I highly doubt it." Ezra settled back in the seat. Once the door was closed, he let out a pained sigh. The few hours sitting cramped on the plane had done nothing good for his various injuries. Getting home to his own bed was all he had on his mind now.

When they’d first arrived at the airport in Baltimore, he’d had a mental countdown of how long it would be before he saw his home. It was now so far past the nine hours it had been when they’d first arrived at the airport and seen that their flight was delayed that he’d lost track All he now knew was that in a half hour at most, he’d be home.

It didn’t take long for Nathan to figure out that Ezra didn’t want to talk. His few inquiries about the seminar he and Buck had attended were met with short, often one-word answers. He debated making a detour to the hospital despite Ezra’s stated desire not to but, ultimately decided to accede to the other man’s wishes.

After a mostly silent drive, they were soon pulling into the driveway at Ezra’s townhouse. “Looks like Buck beat us here...and you’ve got company,” Nathan said as he spotted Chris’s pickup parked on the street.

Ezra, who’d been lightly dozing for most of the ride, picked his head up and looked around. He saw his Jag parked in the driveway in front of them. Following where Nathan was pointing, he also saw Chris’s pickup. “Aw hell. He couldn’t wait until tomorrow.”

“Must be anxious to see you.” Nathan finished parking then helped Ezra from the Explorer. Since neither Buck nor Chris were in sight, he assumed Buck had used Ezra’s keys to let them in. He started to pull the luggage from the back while Ezra made his way to his home.

As he reached the door, Ezra realized that since he didn’t have his keys, he’d have to ring the doorbell. Before doing, that, he grasped the doorknob and tentatively turned it. He was pleased when it opened. There was nothing more undignified than having to request entrance into one’s home.

As he stepped through the door, he saw both Chris and Buck seated on one of the couches with bottles of beer in hand. “Please, do make yourselves comfortable, gentleman,” he quipped as he shut the door behind him. He hobbled to the nearest chair and dropped into it, letting out a sigh of relief. As soon as he did, as orange tabby cat shot out of the kitchen and leapt up to his lap. he automatically started to scratch behind her ears, and she curled up contentedly.

“Now that’s the darndest thing,” Buck said as he watched the cat. “She went running when we came in.”

Ezra shrugged lightly and smirked as much as his split lipped allowed. “I always said Kenny had taste. To what do I owe the pleasure?” he directed at Chris as Kenny made a contented purring sound at the attention she was receiving.

“I thought the two of you might like to know what you did these last couple of days.”

“You mean besides getting our frequent visitor cards punched at hospitals and airports?” Ezra snarked.

Chris chose not to respond to the snark. “Do you know who David Banks is?”

“Oh good lord,” Ezra groaned. “Not him again.”

“Other than some kind of crazy bully, no idea,” Buck said ignoring Ezra’s outburst. “There something we should know about him.”

Before Chris could answer, Nathan came in with the luggage and set it by the door. He took one look at the other three and decided the best place he could be was anywhere but here. “Buck, you going to need a ride home?”

“I’ll see he gets home,” Chris said.

“Then...uh...I’ll just be going. I’ll...uh...see you tomorrow.” He quickly left before the others had finished saying their goodbyes wanting to get while the getting was good.

Once Nathan had left, Chris tossed the file folder he’d been holding on the coffee table. “I’m sure you’re both familiar with Silas Bartholomew.”

“The gun runner?” Ezra questioned. “What’s he got to do with Banks?”

“David Banks just so happens to be his nephew. Our next assignment was to infiltrate Bartholomew’s operation...which Banks is a part of. It’s why he was coming to Denver. You,” he said pointing at Ezra, “were supposed to be going undercover and infiltrate Bartholomew’s gang.” He carefully looked Ezra up and down taking in all his injuries. “That won’t be happening now. As a matter of fact, the entire assignment has been scrapped.”

Ezra and Buck traded looks and Ezra had a sick feeling the blame for the blown assignment was going to fall squarely on him...not that it was his fault that his cover had been compromised before he even went under cover. “Mr. Larabee, we cannot be held responsible...”

“Yes, you can,” Chris interrupted. “Now, the two of you are going to sit there and keep your mouths shut until I’m finished.”

Buck bristled at Chris’s words and picked up where Ezra had left off. “So, we’re just supposed to sit here and take the blame for Bartholomew getting away even though we had nothing to do with it and didn’t even know who Banks was. Hell, if he hadn’t been hassling Missy, none of this ever would have happened. We’re we just supposed to let him do that? Hell, if it hadn’t been for him, Ezra would have never gotten hurt and we’d be able to go ahead with the whole thing.” Buck looked over to Ezra to back him up. “Tell him, Ez.”

Ezra looked between Buck and Chris. Buck seemed to have wrapped himself in righteous indignation that they could be to blame for a case that had never even been opened. Chris, though, looked like he was actually amused. That, more than anything else, put Ezra on edge. “Is there something you’re neglecting to tell us, Mr. Larabee? If I didn’t know better, I’d say you look like the cat that got the canary.”

“I just think it’s interesting that the two of you have both jumped to the conclusion that you did something wrong.”

Buck and Ezra now looked baffled as to what Chris was getting at. “You wanna just tell us what we did, Stud. No sense keeping us in suspense.”

“Ok. What you did was put the fear of God in Banks. I take it at some point you identified yourselves as ATF agents to him.”

The two thought for a second then Buck straightened up. “On the plane when he gave the flight attendant a hard time.” He looked over at Ezra. “It was right after he hit you. I don’t think you were really in a state to know what was going on.” He turned back to Chris. “I told him I was an ATF agent and Ezra was my partner. Why?”

“Well, when he ran into the two of you the third time, he got it in his head that you were tailing him. And, get this, he asked for a deal. He’ll provide all the information needed to take Bartholomew down if,” Chris picked up the folder and flipped through it until he got to the page he wanted, “The pipsqueak maniac and his lunatic partner were kept far away from him.” He took in the poleaxed expressions on his two agents. “Seems Banks thought the two of you were tailing him.” He threw the folder back on the coffee table and picked up his bottle of beer and took a swallow. “He’s going to be on a plane to Denver tomorrow. We’re going to get everything we need to take Bartholomew down without having to do anything. Judge Travis is talking about giving you boys a commendation.”

“A commendation?” Buck parroted.

“Not a suspension?” Ezra added on.

Chris let out a laugh at the shocked and dazed looks on his agents’ faces. “You boys are heroes and all you had to do was go to a seminar.”

“So, you’re not here to kill us,” Buck clarified.

“And hide our bodies,” Ezra added on.

“Nope.” Chris tilted the bottle of beer to drink the last with a smile still on his lips.

“Hell, Stud, you could’ve called and told us this.”

“And miss the looks on your faces?” Chris let out another laugh. “No way was I going to pass on that.” He got up and went into the kitchen to throw the empty bottle in the recycling. “By the way,” he said coming back into the living room. “You both have tomorrow off.” He grabbed his coat from where he’d draped it over the back of the couch. “You want me to run you home, Buck.”

Buck was softly chuckling at the turn of events and shook his head. “I told Ezra I’d give him a hand unpacking. “I’ll be fine.”

“Suit yourself.” Chris pulled his coat on and started toward the front door. “I’ll just let myself out. I’ll see you both day after tomorrow.”

“Can you believe that?” Buck asked once Chris had left. “We managed to break one of the biggest gun runners and we didn’t even have to do anything.”

“Yes. I must say, it’s the first time I’m being put in for a commendation for falling down some stairs.”

“About that, Ezra, you know how sorry I am.”

Ezra waved off the apology. “I know. I didn’t say that to make you feel guilty.” He looked around the living room then over to the suitcases by the door. “You don’t have to stay and help me unpack. I’m sure I can handle it on my own.”

“It’ll be fine. I’ll just get that done for you then give JD a call to pick me up.” Buck pointed toward the kitchen. “You want me to get you anything?”

“A bottle of water, if you don’t mind.” Kenny chose that moment to let out a loud meow and bat at Ezra’s chest. “Would you also mind putting out some wet food for Kenny and checking her water bowl. I believe she’s trying to tell me it’s past her usual dinner hour.”

“No problem.”

As Buck started to the kitchen, Kenny hopped off Ezra’s lap. It was as if she knew Buck had been asked to provide her dinner.

As Ezra sat sipping from the bottle of water, he instructed Buck on what to do with the items in his luggage. By the time Buck was done and had started a load of laundry, Ezra could feel his eyes starting to get heavy. “I believe I’m going to turn in early. I hope you don’t think me a rude host if I don’t wait for JD to arrive.”

“No problem. You head on to bed. I’ll give JD a call and let myself out when he gets here.”

“You’re probably anxious to finally get to your home as well,” Ezra said while trying to hold back a yawn.

When Ezra struggled to get up without putting pressure on his bruised hand, Buck quickly helped him up and then steadied him to the bedroom. Without waiting to be asked, he pulled a pair of track pants and long-sleeved t-shirt out of one of the dresser drawers and put it on the end of the bed for Ezra to change into.

“We made a good team,” Ezra observed as he loosened his tie.

“That we did.” Buck reached into his pocket and pulled out a couple of slips of paper. “I even got a couple of phone numbers from the flight attendants for when they’re in Denver. You make a great wingman,” he said with a wide smile.

Ezra couldn’t help rolling his eyes. “Mr. Wilmington?”

“Yeah?”

“Good night.”

Buck let out a quick laugh. “Yeah. You have a good night, too.” He went back to the living room and picked up the phone to call JD but, just as quickly put it down. Ezra’s couch was comfortable. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to spend the night just in case Ezra needed a little help. He went back to Ezra’s bedroom to let him know.

“More tired than I thought,” he whispered when he saw that Ezra had only made it as far as stripping down to his boxers and undershirt before fallin asleep. He lay with his legs still dangling off the bed.

Being as quiet as he could, Buck maneuvered Ezra into a comfortable position and flipped the comforter over him. The sleeping man made a small sound and snuggled into his pillow.

Once Ezra was comfortable, Buck started picking up the discarded pieces of clothing and folded them neatly over the chair in the room. While he did so, Kenny came into the room. She eyed what Buck was doing then hopped up on the bed, curling against the small of Ezra’s back. Buck waited until she was settled before he went over and scratched her head. “You keep an eye on him.” The cat looked up at him briefly and meowed softly in agreement then settled back against her human.

Buck turned out the light and closed the door partway. “Yeah, Hoss, we make a good team,” he whispered before going back to the living room. The simple little seminar that both he and Ezra had complained about going to had ended up being so much more. They managed to bring down a gun runner without having to lift a finger – if you didn’t count Ezra’s various injuries – and he’d gotten a little more insight into his enigmatic friend...and Ezra had learned to trust just a little more.


End file.
